Kentucky representative Thomas Massie penned an op-ed in the Washington Times with firearm and crime expert John Lott arguing in favor of schools allowing teachers to carry firearms.
Massie referenced his altercation with New York representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat, in the halls of Congress last month in which the New York representative shouted down Massie as he said no shootings occurred at schools which allow teachers to carry firearms.
“It’s a common refrain from gun control advocates,” reads the op-ed referencing Bowman’s claim that “Republicans won’t do s—- when it comes to gun violence.”
“When Mr. Massie tried to respond, Mr. Bowman continued shouting so loudly that Mr. Massie could not be heard,” the piece continued. “Mr. Massie reminded Mr. Bowman that, at that very moment, both of them were being protected by guns in the U.S. Capitol.”
The op-ed noted Bowman had attempted to prevent Massie from speaking with reporters in the Capitol halls by physically getting between the Kentucky representative and reporters.
“What facts are Mr. Bowman so scared of? Why is it so upsetting for him to learn there have been no shooting attacks in schools where teachers can legally carry?”
Opinion | There have been no shooting attacks in schools where teachers can legally carry guns @WashTimesOpEdhttps://t.co/0HzBpFoxzK pic.twitter.com/45pbjNUGBF
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 11, 2023
“Here’s the reality: Guns in the hands of teachers and other responsible citizens can prevent mass shootings,” the piece continued, citing last month’s shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. “A mass murderer once again attacked a place where guns were already banned.”
The op-ed cited Nashville Police Chief John Drake who noted shooter Audrey Hale had reportedly targeted another location but decided against it due to “too much security.”
“Many other shooters have expressed similar fears of armed pushback,” Massie and Lott continued. “Most national media outlets refuse to report on that and also ignore similar explicit statements by other attackers. They also fail to report that 94% of mass public shootings occur in places where civilians are banned from having guns.”
The article cited twenty states, including Utah and New Hampshire, which allow teachers with a concealed handgun permit to carry on campus while other states allow teachers to carry firearms per school board or superintendent’s decisions.
“And there have been no mass shootings under that policy,” Massie and Lott wrote, citing the Kentucky representative’s reintroduction of the Safe Students Act to repeal the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act. “The national default should not be to advertise our children as sitting ducks.”
The article further discussed other arguments from gun control supporters, including a federal assault weapons ban and background checks on private transfers of firearms, noting “not one mass public shooting this century that such laws would have stopped, even if they were in place and perfectly enforced.”
During last month’s altercation with Massie, Bowman repeated talking points of supporters of gun control saying, “More guns leads to more death!”
Massie attempted to calmly explain his argument, but Bowman continued shouting over the Kentucky representative.
“We’ve got guns here to protect us and he doesn’t believe that kids should have somebody to protect them,” Massie told a group of people recording the altercation. “Every school that’s allowed it has never had a shooting. Not even an accidental discharge at any of the schools.”
The altercation followed last month’s shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee which killed six people including three children.
Lott is currently the Senior Advisor for Research and Statistics at the U.S. Department of Justice.
